Stop Wild Elephant Exports To Zoos

Worldwide public opinion stopped Zimbabwe once before
in 2010, when it planned to sell elephant calves and other wildlife to a zoo
in North Korea. New reports reveal that Zimbabwe may be sending more elephant calves to
Chinese zoos to complete the order that China paid for. And, unbelievably,
there are orders for as many as 48 more calves
from countries around the
world, including France, Ukraine, and even the United States.

The news started to slowly leak out in late December: Zimbabwe had taken
four baby elephants from their families in the wild and exported them to
zoos in China. Reportedly, another 14 calves awaited the same fate. Then
came even worse news. One of the calves in China had died. Photos taken by
Animals Asia (right) showed a pathetic surviving calf standing in a freezing
concrete cell alone. A worldwide uproar ensued, with the exports roundly
condemned. Zimbabwe responded by sending five of the calves still held in
the country to rehabilitation at one of the country's national parks. But
the story doesn't end there...

New reports reveal that Zimbabwe may be sending more elephant calves to
Chinese zoos to complete the order that China paid for. And, unbelievably,
there are orders for as many as 48 more calves from countries around the
world, including France, Ukraine, and even the United States.

Elephants' profound social bonds make the capture and separation of
calves from their mothers enormously traumatic for them and their families.
In the wild, calves never stray far from their protective mothers. Familial
ties are so strong that females remain with their mothers for life; males
stay with the family until their teens.

For those calves who survive the ordeal of being captured and transported
to China, they will be confined in zoo conditions that utterly fail to
address their physical, psychological and social needs, ensuring a lifetime
of despair and suffering that ends in premature death.

It's time to stop Zimbabwe from capturing and exporting more elephants to
a grim life in zoos, no matter where those zoos may be located. In the wild,
elephants spend their long lives in large, socially-rich networks and enjoy
complex natural environments. Capturing them from the wild and sending them
to a life in captivity is simply wrong.

I am deeply disturbed by the news that Zimbabwe has captured elephant
calves from the wild and transported them to zoos in China. One calf has
already died, yet more calves may be sent to even more zoos.

Please do not underestimate the impact these captures will have on world
opinion, which condemns the traumatic capture and separation of young
elephants from their families to be sent to a lifetime of captivity in
another country.

People around the globe care deeply about elephants and will be closely
watching this situation. Please show the world that Zimbabwe cares about
preserving and protecting its wildlife heritage by putting a halt to the
export of any more elephant calves.

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